USGS Map Catalog: Culture and History

USGS Map Catalog: Culture and History

USGS maps that can be used in history teaching and research show the physical and cultural landscape on historical editions of USGS topographic maps, the growth of the United States, historical trails and explorers, and other themes. Click on any of the map titles or images below for more detail [some images are up to 10MB, some in PDF format, obtain Adobe Acrobat Reader at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.]. See also our Historic Maps from the Library of Congress Website!

Native American Lands, Culture, and Languages
	Indian Land Areas Judicially Established--This large, colorful map shows the results of cases before the U.S. Indian Claims Commission or U.S. Court of Claims in which an American Indian tribe proved its original tribal occupancy of a tract within the continental United States. The inset provides additional details of the Pacific Northwest region. Prepared under the direction of the Indian Claims Commission as part of it’s final report. Compiled, edited, and published by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1978. Use this map to teach and learn about the extent and distribution of Indian land areas. Map scale is 1:4,000,000 and measures 51"x38". Product ID Number 101505
	Indian Land Areas--Federal Indian reservations, state reservations, federal Indian groups without reservations, Bureau of Indian Affairs areas and offices, and the interstate highway system are shown on this map. Rivers and lakes are clearly illustrated. Inset shows Alaska. Compiled from the Handbook of North American Indians in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Use this map to teach and learn about the extent and distribution of Indian Land Areas in relationship to the cultural and physical geography of the USA. Map scale is 1:5,000,000 and measures 26"x42". Product ID Number 101502
	Indian Lands in the United States--Colorful Shaded Relief map of the conterminous 48 states showing 1998 American Indian Geographic Entities. American Indian Reservations (AIR’S) are legal entities having boundaries established by treaty, statute, and/or executive or court order. Tribal Designated Statistical Areas (TDSA’S) are geographic areas delineated for 1990 census data tabulation purposes by tribal officials of federally and state recognized tribes outside of Oklahoma that do not have a legally defined reservation or associated trust lands. Use this map to teach and learn about the extent and distribution of Indian Lands in relationship to physical features. Map scale is 1:5,000,000 and measures 31"x44". Product ID Number 101516
	Early Indian Tribes, Culture Areas, and Linguistic Stocks--This map was prepared by William Sturtevant of the Smithsonian Institution. It shows the geographic extent of many Indian tribes, their culture areas, and 18 Indian linguistic stocks, both in the conterminous 48 States and in Alaska. A short text and reference list are printed on the back. Use this map to teach and learn about analyzing and comparing Indian Tribal lands, culture areas, and their languages. This map is from the “National Atlas of the United States of America,” published by the U.S. Geological Survey. Map scale is 1:7,500,000 and measures 20"x28". Product ID Number 101013
USA History
	Lewis and Clark: A Legacy of Science--This poster features two maps in parallel view: above is a beautiful reproduction of "Lewis and Clark's Track Across the Western Portion of North America from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean," published by Samuel Lewis in 1814; below is the same geographic area depicted with current remote sensing technology in a colorful image of the American landscape. The parallel map construction illustrates how far cartographic techniques have advanced in 200 years. Use this map to teach and learn about Lewis and Clark, Native Americans, the physical geography of the Louisiana Purchase, comparing map techniques over the past 200 years, and how physical geography influenced the original route as well as modern settlement. Inquiry Ideas: How has cartography changed in the past 200 years? How much did the Lewis and Clark survey contribute to our understanding of Western North America? Why did Lewis and Clark follow the Missouri River west? What would have been a more direct route to the Pacific Ocean? Would the more direct route have taken more time? What physical regions did Lewis and Clark and their party traverse? What modern day transportation routes follow these same paths? Map measures 54"x42". Visit the Teaching about Lewis and Clark using USGS Resources Website and the Historic Maps Website! Product ID Number 113605
	Routes of the Principal Explorers--Routes of Principal Explorers 1501-1844. This map shows the routes of the principal explorers in the contiguous 48 States. Follows the tracks of 16th century explorers such as Ponce de Leon and Sir Francis Drake, American trailblazer John C. Fremont, and the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804 to 1806. Background features include international and state boundaries and names; state capitals and major cities; rivers and lakes. Use this map to teach and learn about the relationship of explorers and the physical geography that influenced them. Inquiry ideas: Which explorers preceded Lewis and Clark? Which explorers followed Lewis and Clark? What influence did Lewis and Clark have on exploration of North America? Why did these explorers choose the routes that they did? What physical hardships, based on the topography, did they endure? What were the purposes of their expeditions? Did the purposes of their expeditions change over the 16th through 19th centuries? What modern day transportation routes follow these same paths? Map 8-A. Map scale is 1:8,448,000 and measures 27"x19". Product ID Number 101216
	1857 Map of the USA--Map of the United States of America, The British Provinces, Mexico, The West Indies and Central America with part of New Grenada and Venezuela. Published by J.H. Colton and Co., New York, 1857. Two insets show: A map of the Atlantic Ocean showing the American and European ports; The Isthmus of Panama. (Reproduction, from The Library of Congress). Use this map to teach and learn about the historical development of the USA and the influence of physical geography (landforms, rivers, coastlines). What were the largest cities in 1857? What was important about the USA then that would influence the Civil War in the decade to follow? ISBN 0607997419. 36" x 46" in size. Product ID Number 113632
	An Emerging Nation--A reproduction of a map that shows the United States as it existed about the time the Constitution was written. It was produced in 1784 and was the first map of the United States produced by an American cartographer. The original image was engraved on copper plates and was printed in four sections; all colors were applied by hand. The reverse side has a series of 14 maps portraying the Nation’s territorial growth over the past two centuries, along with corresponding national flags with the appropriate number of stars for selected years from 1775 to the present. Use this map to teach and learn about the original states versus their present-day boundaries, how maps have changed from 1784 to the present, and the location of the original 13 states. Inquiry Ideas: How does the size of the United States today compare to that of 1784? What state boundaries have changed? What have remained the same? Compare the areal size of each state to its population and explore the relationships. What states were the largest in population in 1784? Today? Where was most of the population clustered in 1784 and today? Why? Where did Lewis and Clark live in 1784? What was known about the land to the west in 1784? Which country(s) claimed the land to the west of the Mississippi River in 1784? Which country claimed Florida? What country claimed Canada? Map scale is 1:5,000,000 and measures 22"x29". Visit the Emerging Nation Map Website. Product ID Number 101415
	Electing The President--This new National Atlas Presidential Elections map illustrates the evolution of America’s political parties and it’s election laws and procedures by showing the electoral votes by political party and State for all of the Presidential elections from George Washington in 1789 to George W. Bush in 2000. A more detailed map for the 2000 election shows the winner of the popular vote by county in addition to the small electoral vote map. Use this map to teach and learn about how the nation grew, how patterns of voting differ by region and over time, how geography is important in elections, how population influences who wins elections, and how population distribution affects where candidates spend their time. Inquiry Ideas: Why did each state vote the way it did in each election? What regions voted in a similar way through entire decades of history? Why? What clues does the 1860 map give that indicate that the Civil War was near? Who was President when Lewis and Clark made their expedition? How did the size of the country change after the Louisiana Purchase? After the Lewis and Clark expedition? Why? How does the population distribution of the USA determine who is elected and where the candidates spend time campaigning? How do you think the states will vote in upcoming elections? Map measures 41"x29". Product ID Number 112283
	Public Land Surveys--This highly detailed map is great for educators because it depicts the original 13 colonies, as well as outlining past land purchases, grants and annexes. It also lists all the States and their cities, the hydrology, remaining public land, national forests, Indian reservations and national parks and monuments. Use this map to teach and learn about how the country grew, and the affect of the Public Land Survey System on the present-day arrangement of roads and cities. Inquiry ideas: How did the United States change from 1783 to the present time? Compare and contrast how the land was acquired in each case--treaty, purchase, or war? Which present-day states were formed from the different land acquisitions? What direction did the land acquisitions follow? Why? What was the largest single land acquisition? What was the land acquisition that made Jefferson commission Lewis and Clark? Visit the Public Land Surveys Website. Map scale is 1:3,000,000 and measures 63"x40". Product ID Number 101208
	Outline Map of the United States--Map showing state boundaries with no state names. Use this map for name recognition quizzes, and to teach and learn about the size and locations of states. Map measures 40"x27". Product ID Number 101263
	Outline Map of the United States--Map showing state boundaries with state names shown. Use this map to teach and learn about the size and locations of states. Map measures 40"x27". Product ID Number 101211
States and Regions
	Colorado 1894 Map--Looking for an attractive historical map of Colorado? Reproduced by USGS in cooperation with the Library of Congress, this map was originally published in 1894 by James McConnell School Supplies of Denver, Colorado. This unique birds-eye view map has incredible detail and is ideal for framing. Features include: relief shading, counties, cities, towns, roads, rivers, valleys, railroads, and elevations of some mountain peaks. Use this map to understand the growth of Colorado from 1894 to the present, to examine the affect of topography on population settlement, to compare historical versus modern mapping techniques, to examine how some features' names and spellings have changed since 1894, and to analyze the number of towns in mining areas and on the Great Plains that have disappeared. Map scale is 1:500,000 and measures 53"x42". Visit our Historic Maps Website! Product ID Number 112161
	Evolution of the Landscape along the Clear Creek Corridor, Colorado--Urbanization, Aggregate Mining, and Reclamation--The landscape along lower Clear Creek between Golden and its confluence with the South Platte River, has changed and continues to change due to human activity. It is a microcosm of the human impact upon many streams and rivers in the Western Plains of North America. Indeed, the Clear Creek valley landscape has been transformed by the human impacts of mining, settlement, agriculture, major water diversions and reservoirs, transportation, and recreation. There is an increasing demand for infrastructure resources, such as aggregate, energy, and water, due to the expanding metropolitan Denver area. Most of the change has occurred within the last 100 years, accelerating through time and increasing in scale, with reclamation of aggregate resource mines now nearly complete. Photographs, maps, journals, interviews, and fieldwork were used to examine aggregate mining, site history, ecology, and genius loci (sense of place) from approximately 1900 through 2000 along lower Clear Creek. The two map sheets reduce a complex three-dimensional visual and text description. The authors recognize the limitations of such a methodology but believe it is a starting point for further discussion and research. The booklet and two map sheets show various aspects of ecological and historical interest with black/white and color photographs of the study area. Aerial photographs help illustrate how sites have changed over the years. This study of classic land use conflict may be of use to land planners, industry, and the general public. Sheet 1 is 56”x39”, Sheet 2 is 56”x40”, and the booklet is 41 pages long. Map web site for downloads and more information: http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i-2760/ Product ID Number 113849
	Historic Trail Map of Denver, Sheet 1-- "Historic Trail Map of the Denver 1 by 2 Degree Quadrangle, Central Colorado," by Glenn R. Scott, retired USGS geologist, features a smorgasbord of historical information, including the locations of Indian, early immigrant and cattle trails, as well as stage routes, stage stops, toll roads, toll gates existing and abandoned railroads, ghost towns, military camps, mountain passes, ranches, quarries, mines, archeological sites and vertebrate fossil sites. The area of the quadrangle encompasses Breckenridge, Colorado Springs, Limon and Brighton. A 53-page text pamphlet complements the 2-sheet map. Use this map to understand the affect of Native Americans, mining, agriculture, and urban growth on the region, and how historical routes influenced the location of present-day cities and transportation. Map scale is 1:250,000 and measures 49"x38". Sold as a set. Visit our Geology Publications Website! Product ID Number I-2639
	Historic Trail Map of Denver, Sheet 2--"Historic Trail Map of the Denver 1 by 2 Degree Quadrangle, Central Colorado," by Glenn R. Scott, retired USGS geologist, features a smorgasbord of historical information, including the locations of Indian, early immigrant and cattle trails, as well as stage routes, stage stops, toll roads, toll gates existing and abandoned railroads, ghost towns, military camps, mountain passes, ranches, quarries, mines, archeological sites and vertebrate fossil sites. The area of the quadrangle hits Breckenridge, Colorado Springs, Limon and Brighton. A 53-page text pamphlet complements the 2-sheet map. Use this map to understand the affect of Native Americans, mining, agriculture, and urban growth on the region, and how historical routes influenced the location of present-day cities and transportation. Map scale is 1:100,000 and measures 49"x38". Sold as a set. Visit our Geology Publications Website! Product ID Number I-2639
	The Historic Trail Map of the Leadville 1 x 2 Degree Quadrangle--This is the 11th map in a series of historic maps published by Glen Scott in collaboration between the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Department, and the Colorado Railroad Museum. The map depicts Indian trails that were accessible only by foot or horseback which over the years became roads that were used by Conestoga wagons and stagecoaches, and even hand carts such as those used by the Mormons during their immigration to Utah. Included with the Leadville map is a 90-page booklet containing the history of Leadville, along with references to the pictures and trails used on the map. The scale of the map is 1:250,000 with 200-foot contour interval and the measurement of the map is approximately 40 x 56 inches. To view the Historic Trail Map of Denver (Item #28820) and Trinidad (Item #112612) visit our Geology Publications website at: http//cpg.cr.usgs.gov/pub/i-maps.html. To view and/or download a version go to: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/2004/2820 Product ID Number I-2820, or 116047
	Historic Trail Map of Lamar, Colorado- --History buffs, recreational hikers and bikers, railroad enthusiasts, and even people interested in genealogy will find lots of interesting and useful information in this map. Use this map to teach and learn about how trails in Southern Colorado were created, to analyze routes used by Native Americans and pioneers, and to discover how historic features such as stage and rail lines were important. Examine photographs dating back to the 1870's. Map scale is 1:250,000 and measures 44"x31.5". Product ID Number I-2469
	Historic Trail Map of Greeley, Colorado --History buffs, recreational hikers and bikers, railroad enthusiasts, and even people interested in genealogy will find lots of interesting and useful information in this map. Use this product, with its accompanying pamphlet, to teach and learn about how how trails in Northeastern Colorado were created and used, and examine routes used by Native Americans and pioneers. Historic features such as stage and rail lines are briefly discussed with photographs dating back to the 1870's. Map scale is 1:100,000 and measures 30"x28". Product ID Number I-2326
	Historic Trail Map of Sterling, Colorado, Sheet 1 --History buffs, recreational hikers and bikers, railroad enthusiasts, and even people interested in genealogy will find lots of interesting and useful information in this map. Use this map, with its accompanying pamphlet, to examine how trails in Northeastern Colorado were used, including routes used by Native Americans and pioneers. Examine historic features such as stage and rail lines with photographs dating back to the 1870's. Map scale is 1:250,000 and measures 29"x24". Product ID Number I-1894
	Historic Trail Map of Sterling, Colorado, Sheet 2 --History buffs, recreational hikers and bikers, railroad enthusiasts, and even people interested in genealogy will find lots of interesting and useful information in this map. Use this map, with its accompanying pamphlet, to teach and learn about how trails in Northeastern Colorado were made and used, including routes used by Native Americans and pioneers. Historic features such as stage and rail lines are briefly discussed with photographs dating back to the 1870's. Map scale is 1:250,000 and measures 29"x24". Product ID Number I-1894
	Historic Trail Map of Limon, Colorado --History buffs, recreational hikers and bikers, railroad enthusiasts, and even people interested in genealogy will find lots of interesting and useful information in this map. Use this map, with its accompanying pamphlet, to teach and learn about how trails in Eastern Colorado were made and used, including routes used by Native Americans and pioneers. Historic features such as stage and rail lines are briefly discussed with photographs dating back to the 1870's. Map scale is 1:250,000 and measures 36"x32". Product ID Number I-2468
	Historic Trail Map of Raton and Springer New Mexico, Sheet 1 --History buffs, recreational hikers and bikers, railroad enthusiasts, and even people interested in genealogy will find lots of interesting and useful information in this map. Use this map, with its accompanying pamphlet, to teach and learn about how trails in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado were made and used, including routes used by Native Americans and pioneers. Historic features such as stage and rail lines are briefly discussed with photographs dating back to the 1870's. Map scale is 1:100,000 and measures 38"x27". Product ID Number I-1641
	Historic Trail Map of Raton and Springer New Mexico, Sheet 2 --History buffs, recreational hikers and bikers, railroad enthusiasts, and even people interested in genealogy will find lots of interesting and useful information in this map. Use this map, with its accompanying pamphlet, to teach and learn about how trails in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado were made and used, including routes used by Native Americans and pioneers. Historic features such as stage and rail lines are briefly discussed with photographs dating back to the 1870's. Map scale is 1:100,000 and measures 38"x27". Product ID Number I-1641
	Historic Trail Map of Trinidad, Colorado --History buffs, recreational hikers and bikers, railroad enthusiasts, and even people interested in genealogy will find lots of interesting and useful information in this map. Use this map, with its accompanying pamphlet, to teach and learn about how trails in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado were made and used, including routes used by Native Americans and pioneers. Historic features such as stage and rail lines are briefly discussed with photographs dating back to the 1870's. Map scale is 1:250,000 and measures 56"x40". Visit our Geology Publications Website! Product ID Number I-2745